


The Signs Are All There

by chestervlle



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-04
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-18 04:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1414723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chestervlle/pseuds/chestervlle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of my bethyl one-shots and prompts from tumblr. A few will definitely include some gleggie as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set maybe after “Alone” but Beth was never kidnapped and the group never went to terminus. They all met up somewhere along the road and are back together now.

Daryl heard a soft knock on his door and sat up on his bed as he saw Beth enter. Her blonde hair was smoother than it had been since he’d known her, and a strong scent of linen and soap entered the room with her. After the prison when they were all separated, the group had finally met up and together they’d cleared the higher levels of a hotel to hold up in for awhile. They’d got the water running, as well as the generator, and things were better than they’d been in a long time.

"What’re you still doin’ up?" Daryl asked her, now sitting on the edge of the bed with his feet touching the floor, still inside of his boots. He wasn’t ready to let himself get comfortable, and he wasn’t planning on changing out of his clothes, though Beth was wearing full matching plaid pajamas.

"Glenn and Maggie are staying in my room with me and they promised they’d be quiet - but let me tell you they must have no idea what that means." Beth replied with a soft snort as she sat on the bed next to him, setting down the book she was carrying between them. She tucked her feet up and made herself at home. Daryl instinctively shifted away from her. He’d become comfortable around Beth, all that time alone together, but sitting on a bed next to her made him feel uneasy. His thoughts about how attracted he was to her in her pajamas with her hair lying perfecting on her shoulders made him uneasy.

When Daryl didn’t reply Beth tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at him sheepishly. “I was just doin’ a little readin’.” Beth’s hands turned the book over in her hands, and Daryl noticed what it said across the front. Holy Bible.

"Don’t you wanna read like, an old western or somethin’?" He asked her, trying his best to join in her attempt at conversation.

Beth shrugged her shoulders. “I haven’t had the chance to find anything else. But daddy always said - “there ain’t not book like the good book”.”

Her eyes caught Daryl’s and they stayed silent for a moment. They’d already had their shared moment over how Daryl felt guilty for Hershel’s death, like he could have done something more. Beth didn’t blame him, or anyone, a bit. Still, she changed the subject. She came here to cheer him up not bring him down. “Y’know,” Beth spoke up again, “you aren’t foolin’ me when you claim you’re gonna try to get some sleep.” She took an audible breath. “I know you’re not ready to trust this place, after everything that’s happened. But… bein’ on the road for all those days… you need rest just like all of us, Daryl. When’s the last time you slept, anyways?”

Daryl just shrugged in response. Beth smiled slightly at him, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence in the room. She didn’t know what to say next. “Probably,” Daryl began, “that night, when I had that nice coffin to sleep in.” He said, realizing how dumb it sounded considering he had a big King-sized bed now.

Beth giggled but then caught his eyes - realizing what he really meant. “When I sang to you.” She replied softly. Daryl looked away. “Well, sometimes, I get a little carried away when I sing… so maybe it’s not the best idea right now, ‘cause I don’t wanna wake anyone -“

"I wasn’t sayin’ - " Daryl began to reply, not wanting Beth to think she needed to stay, even if he wanted her to.

Beth’s face lit up in a moment of realization and she held the Bible up again. “I could read to you.” She paused, seeing the look on Daryl’s face. She knew he didn’t like feeling like he needed anyone - but he needed her right now just as much as she needed him, maybe more. She laughed softly and bent down over the edge of the bed, touching her hand to one of his boots. “But you gotta take these off.” Daryl scooted away and gave her a look, but Beth continued pressing, closing the gap between them once more. “Come on, Daryl. You can’t possibly get a good night’s rest with those things on your feet.” Beth continued. She knew the reason he kept them on - he was always ready to get up and run at any moment. It’s all they knew. “I’ll watch over you.” Beth told him, and waited for the moment when he would ask her to leave.

But he didn’t. Instead, Daryl’s answer was the thump of his boots falling to the floor. He leaned back on the bed, still staying above the covers, he wasn’t quite ready to get that comfortable yet. His hands went back to hold up the back of his head, and he looked at Beth. “You gonna get to readin’ or what?” He asked her, and Beth grinned. Daryl watched her closely as she scooted up next to him. She stayed sitting up, and criss-crossed her legs beneath her body, flipping through the pages of the Bible at the same time. She began to read quietly, reading to Daryl something from the book of Matthew, grinning still when she saw Daryl’s eyelids slowly close.

She kept reading though, until she could hear his breathing slow. But somewhere along the way, somehow, she dozed off too. And when Maggie came looking for her in the morning, she smiled, seeing her little sister curled up in the arms of the one who could protect her best, with a Bible still grasped in her hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt from tumblr: Maggie catches Beth in Daryl's bed. 
> 
> Anything that invovles bethyl snuggles are my favorite thing. so here it is - set sometime before Too Far Gone.

It was the middle of the night, and Maggie was wandering the halls of the prison, unable to fall asleep without Glenn beside her, who was on watch. She tried to pass the time by checking everyone's cells, just to make sure things were going smoothly and everyone was getting the rest they needed. She stopped first at her father's cell, and smiled when she heard him snoring, not too loudly, but in a way that let her know he would be better rested in the morning.

She continued to meander around, happy to see that everyone was sleeping. Until she made it to Beth's cell. It was completely empty. Maggie tried not to panic, tried to make herself think of a reason why Beth would be missing. Maybe she was making a quick trip to the bathroom, maybe Judith had been fussing and she offered to take care of her.

Maggie's pacing became more frantic, and without knowing what else to do, she continued on the line of cells and looked in each one to see if she could see her sister. It was entirely possible Beth was in one of the remaining cells, maybe up visiting with Sasha or convincing Rick to go back to sleep while she calmed Judith down.

As she passed each cell with no sign of Beth, her heart continued to drop lower towards her stomach. Until she could swear it stopped completely. She was unsure of how to react to the picture she saw in front of her. Beth, with her blonde hair a mess and her hand lying flat on Daryl's chest, who held Beth in both his arms with such tenderness, like he was afraid he would break her if he held her any tighter. Beth's head was tucked underneath Daryl's chin, and her leg was crossed over his. And what a picture they made.

Maggie took a few unknowing steps backwards, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. And when she did, the only thing she could feel was joy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Beth plans Maggie and Glenn's wedding and Daryl is the best man.

They obviously couldn’t do much, what with the current circumstances of the apocalypse and all, but Beth still wanted Maggie to enjoy a somewhat special wedding day. Even though her and Glenn had already basically gotten married, the group had unanimously decided that they needed a ceremony. Maggie only wished that her dad could have been there.

One day on a run, Beth and Daryl had discovered an abandoned flower garden, that was still surprisingly alive, and she’d squealed at the thought of the wedding in her mind. Beth had taken over everything, but had recruited everyone to help. It was almost time now, and Beth couldn’t be more excited. Everyone was there, well, everyone that was still alive. Their group had become remarkably smaller, but it was more tight-knit now and they were all so close with eachother. It was nice to put their fear aside for the afternoon while they enjoyed celebrating Glenn and Maggie’s love.

Beth was tying ribbon around some flowers for a bouquet when Daryl walked over to her with his crossbow in hand. “Smells like a damn perfume shop round here.” He murmured, and Beth looked at him accusingly.

"When have you ever been in a perfume shop?" Beth asked him sarcastically and he grunted in response. "How’s that look?" Beth continued, holding up the finished bouquet to show to Daryl. He stepped closer to her and shrugged, touching the tips of the flowers with his fingers. 

"Good." Daryl answered, and Beth caught his eyes. After being on their own just the two of them for all that time, they’d grown much closer and that hadn’t changed once that group had reunited. Daryl had just been much more timid about pursuing something with Beth, though she kept hoping he would just make a move already.

But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. She had a wedding to run.

Together, her and Daryl went out to meet the others where everyone but Maggie was waiting. Beth approached Sasha and Carl, handing the bouquet to Sasha to take to Maggie. “We’re ready when she is.” Beth told her with a huge smile on her face.

Daryl turned to Carl and gave him a sarcastic grin. “Not too late for you to step up to the plate and be the flower girl like we asked.”

Carl punched Daryl in the arm and walked off to join his father and Judith. Beth was giggling when she grabbed Daryl’s arm. “Come on,” She said, “Let’s go see how Glenn’s doin’.”

When they joined the Groom at his side, Glenn was sweating and looked irrationally nervous. “He ain’t lookin’ too good.” Daryl whispered to Beth, and she grinned.

"I can hear you, you know." Glenn replied. "Isn’t the best man supposed to make me feel less nervous about all this?"

Beth grabbed Glenn’s arm and looked at him. “You don’t have anything to be worried about. Maggie’s going to love what you wrote.” Beth encouraged him. A few days before when Glenn had asked Daryl what he thought of the vows he had written, Daryl didn’t know what to say. Luckily, Beth was sitting nearby and had told Glenn how amazing they were. She’d already heard both his and Maggie’s, and she was certain there wouldn’t be a dry eye at the ceremony.

They broke from their conversation as Maggie came around the corner. Dressed still in her normal clothes because they hadn’t been able to find anything else, she still looked beautiful. The bouquet Beth had made her was in her hands, and she too looked nervous and emotional. She walked down the makeshift isle while everyone was smiling and whispering, but it was almost completely silent. Beth had wanted to sing but there wasn’t any music to play, so she had decided against it.

She elbowed Daryl and he leaned over so she could whisper to him. “You ever heard about what happens at weddings between the best man and maid of honor?” She gave him a knowing grin, and was surprised when he returned it with one of his own. He elbowed her softly as she giggled, and they both focused on Glenn and Maggie again. They gave the most beautiful vows, and sure enough, everyone eye’s were wet when it was through.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the definition of cliche, cutesy stargazing. I have to get through these seven months somehow!

"But you said….." Beth started to complain as her heart sank.

"I know, I know. But this really can’t wait. Rick said he needs both me and Glenn. Tomorrow night, I promise." Maggie told her sister before running back inside the prison.

Beth stared through the grated fence to the open field and sighed. She didn’t acknowledge Daryl approaching her until he was standing a foot away. He’d been on watch and overheard the conversation. “What’s goin’ on?”

Beth glanced at him before looking away again. “Oh, nothin’. Maggie and I were gonna look at the stars tonight. She can’t now, and I cant go out there by myself.”

Daryl rocked back and forth on his feet. “I’ll go out there with you.”

Beth couldn’t keep her face from lighting up, and she grinned, looking at him. “Really?”

Daryl shrugged, pretending to look uninterested. “I’m on watch anyways.” Truth was, he was glad at the thought of not being alone for part of the night.

Daryl unlocked the fence and let Beth through, and he watched her run downhill while shaking the grin off his face. Beth laid out the blanket she was carrying, and sat down with her legs crisscrossed. Daryl stood nearby, awkwardly swinging his head from side to side, looking for walkers outside the second fences.

Beth patted the blanket and smiled up at Daryl. “Come on.” She urged, watching him the whole time as he sat down next to her, laying his legs out flat. He dropped his crossbow in the grass beside them and leaned back on the palms of his hands, still continuing to scan the fence.

After a few minutes of nothing but the sounds of the crickets, Beth spoke up."It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" Beth said, craning her neck as she looked up at the stars. Daryl glanced up at them too, but caught Beth out of the corner of his eye and stared at her instead.

"Mhmm." Daryl mumbled, still not taking his eyes off of her. Beth shivered, but tried not to make a big deal of it because her sweater was inside and she wasn’t ready to leave. Without a word, Daryl pulled his poncho over his head and slid it across Beth’s shoulders.

"Oh." She said, looking him in the eyes. She grinned again. "Thanks."

Daryl nodded, and they both gazed up at the stars again. He continued to periodically check the fence for walkers, but none came. They’d been few and far between lately.

Daryl was painfully aware of Beth slowly scooting closer to him as the minutes wore on, and eventually her fingers intertwined with his. He didn’t stop her, and neither of them said a word.

Beth eventually dozed off, fingers still wrapped in Daryl’s. He let her sleep until Michonne came out to relieve him of watch duty at around two. He didn’t have the heart to wake Beth, so he scooped her up in his arms. Ignoring the wide grin on Michonne’s face, he carried Beth to her cell and slid her under the covers of her bed, stepping back to admire how peaceful she looked. Just the sight of her made Daryl realize that he still had hope for the future, no matter the circumstances. The world still had it's fair share of beautiful things, and he was looking right at one. The most beautiful one of all.


End file.
